Did you see John Wall dive into former NBA-All-Star Jerry Stackhouse? What about his dunk between the legs at the City of Palms Dunk Contest? In case you didn’t know, John Wall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, has a 39-inch vertical (his maximum vertical reach on him was 11′ 8.5″; pre-draft measurements).

Now, if you want to improve your vertical, it’s important to understand that it’s something you need to work on separately. For example, playing basketball as much as you can will not help, quite the contrary! It could even have a negative effect on your vertical jump. The reason is because in this way you only train your “jumping stamina”.

But to maximize your vertical you need to work on your “jumping explosion.” Exercises designed to improve your jumping explosion are different from conventional ones like squats and calf raises: you have to do them very fast and with a high intensity.

It’s about quality, not quantity and intensity, not number of reps. The key rule here is to do as many reps as you can at top speed. Believe it or not, rest is a key element in vertical jump training. Your muscles need a long time to recover. This is why you should never do vertical training two days after another. A recovery period (24-48 hours) is extremely important.

There are two other things to watch out for: stretching and nutrition. Be sure to stretch before (briefly) and after each workout. Stretching keeps your muscles flexible so they can exert maximum force.

In addition to rest, your muscles need protein (eg eggs, chicken breast, turkey, beef, fish, shellfish) and magnesium to grow. Keep in mind, however, that you shouldn’t take more calories with you as you burn throughout the day. Otherwise, you will gain weight, which will drastically slow your progress.

For a specific vertical program I recommend the Jump Manual, it is simply the best vertical training program available today, with specific exercises, weekly charts, videos and more.

PS: John Wall first dived at the age of 14 (his listed height is now 6 ft 4 in (193 cm); he weighs 195 lbs (88 kg)).